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Postsecondary Education: Opportunities for Students with Disabilities

Postsecondary Education: Opportunities for Students with Disabilities. Sean Roy – PACER Missouri APSE Employment Summit. Agenda. Questions we hope to answer: Why is postsecondary education an important option? How do expectations in college differ from those in high school?

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Postsecondary Education: Opportunities for Students with Disabilities

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  1. Postsecondary Education: Opportunities for Students with Disabilities Sean Roy – PACER Missouri APSE Employment Summit

  2. Agenda Questions we hope to answer: • Why is postsecondary education an important option? • How do expectations in college differ from those in high school? • How can students use academic accommodations to be successful in college? • What are the postsecondary education opportunities for students with intellectual disabilities?

  3. The Benefits of Postsecondary Education • Increased employment and lifetime earnings • Many new jobs require postsecondary education • Status • Increased social circles and networks • Seen by many as what youth of that age do • Other benefits?

  4. Types of Postsecondary Opportunities • Four-year Colleges and Universities • Liberal Arts College • Community College or Junior College • Engineering or Tech College • Technical School or Vocational School • Military School • Business School • Online schools

  5. Benefits of a Two-year College Many students find great benefit in starting at a two-year college • Affordability • Stepping stone to four-year program • Class sizes often capped at 25/30 • Better chance of individual attention • Before you commit, always tour the school and meet with DSS staff to ensure a good fit

  6. Academics: Postsecondary Differs from High School • Higher instructor-to-student ratio • Less contact with instructors • Expectations to achieve independently • High level of academic competence expected • Fewer tests cover broader base of information • No resource rooms Adapted from “Going to College: Expanding Opportunities for People with Disabilities” (2005)

  7. Questions for Students to Consider Can you read up to 200 pages in a week? Do you have a system for taking notes? Do you know which academic tasks give you difficulty? Do you have a strategy for completing tasks you find boring? Do you have an academic subject you find interesting? Source: Landmark College’s Guide to Assessing College Readiness

  8. Schedule Differences

  9. IEPs Do Not Go To College • Students who have IEPs in high school should not expect the same level of services in college • Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act become applicable laws • IEPs can be used (in some cases) for disability documentation and to help identify academic accommodations

  10. Disability Student Services • Most postsecondary schools have a point person for students with disabilities • A school does not need to have a “program,” just a point person • DSS staff can help identify and negotiate academic accommodations • Quality and depth of services can vary greatly from school to school, so meet with DSS person before you commit • DSS offices not a “single point of contact”.

  11. Appropriate Disability Documentation • Each college establishes its own criteria • May need HS records, letters from professionals, etc. • Some colleges may require additional information • Talk early in the process with the Disability Student Services provider to learn the requirements

  12. Academic Accommodations in College • Colleges need only provide “equal access to education” • Accommodations ensure access not success • Accommodations should be at no-cost to student • “Personal services” are the responsibility of the individual, not the college • Colleges have the final say on what accommodations can be used

  13. Accommodation Examples Common Accommodations Not Accommodations Tutoring Modified curriculum Personal Care Assistants Extra time to complete homework Transportation Equipment such as laptops, software, scooter, hearing aids, etc. • Extra time for tests • Quiet space for test taking • Use of assistive technology • Tape-recording classes • Oral tests instead of written • Test reader • Assistance with note taking • Sign language interpreters

  14. PSE for Students with Intellectual Disabilities https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6M8FpIFCnw

  15. Think College

  16. What are the options in the US? • Over 200 Programs listed on the Think College website (www.thinkcollege.net) • 34 Comprehensive Transition Programs (CTPs) http://studentaid.ed.gov/eligibility/intellectual-disabilities • 27 Transition Postsecondary Program for Students with Intellectual Disabilties (TPSIDs)

  17. Programs Can Differ • Length • Level of Inclusion • Residential Options • Focus of Program • Size • Student Age

  18. Pathways to College

  19. Types of Postsecondary Education Experiences • K-12/Special Education Options • Dual enrollment program for students with ID or ASD, age18-21, who are still in high school but receive transition services in college • Postschool-Higher Education Options • Postsecondary education program designed to support adults with ID or ASD in college • Individualized access to existing college options

  20. Levels of College Course Access • Full access to course catalogue • Partial or limited access • No access – all specially designed courses only for students with disabilities

  21. Paid Employment • Youth who participated in PSE were 26% more likely to leave Vocational Rehabilitation with paid employment • Earned a 73% higher weekly income • Individuals need greater access to PSE supported by Vocational Rehabilitation DataSet: RSA911 Migliore, A., Butterworth, J., & Hart, D. 2009. Postsecondary Education and Employment Outcomes for Youth with Intellectual Disabilities. Fast Facts Series, No. 1. Boston, MA: Institute for Community Inclusion

  22. Predictors of Employment Students with ID • The only post-high school transition goal that was a predictor of employment for students with ID was having the goal of attending college -Grigal, Hart, & Migliore, 2011

  23. How Does it Get Paid For? • Students with ID pay tuition like everyone else • No federal student loans for non-degree programs • CTP students can get financial aid • Unclear if 529 savings programs can be used for non-degree programs

  24. Tips for Parents: • Collaborate with high school team and youth to develop action plan • Connect with adult services partners • Practice self-advocacy • Learn about differences between high school and college • Talk about boundaries • Plan how you will communicate

  25. Talk About Money $$ • Develop a financial plan for college: for tuition, spending money, housing costs • Practice budgeting at home early and often • Talk about the difference between musts and wants • Find someone to help with budgeting at college to help bridge the gap from home to independence

  26. Advocating for New Programs It is often from the energy of parents that new programs get created. • Find your champions • Raise awareness • Speak to legislators and higher education • You might have to start small

  27. Contact info Sean Roy sroy@pacer.org www.pacer.org

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